The invention relates to an apparatus and method for uploading and/or communicating information to an electronically commutated motor (ECM) or other programmable field devices.
ECMs are used in many applications. For example, an ECM can be used with a blower or fan for moving air in a heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) system or a gas heating system (e.g., a gas water heater or a gas furnace). In such environments, the ECM can employ constant airflow algorithms to control the flow of air without the use of external sensors (e.g., without the use of airflow or pressure sensors). To employ the constant airflow algorithms, the motor controller typically includes information about the system the motor is attached to. Typically this information is programmed into the motor controller at the time of manufacturing.
One problem for servicing a system using an ECM motor that stores system information occurs when replacing the “characterized” or “smart” motor. As just discussed, the original motor may be preprogrammed for a specific system (e.g., a specific furnace/HVAC unit). Service technicians cannot feasibly carry pre-characterized motors for all situations. As a result, when the characterized motor fails, the service technician typically orders a new characterized motor from the manufacturer or distributor. Because this can take several days, a “standard” or “dumb” motor is often installed in the system to keep the system running, while the new characterized motor is delivered. A minimum of two service calls with two motor changes is often the result.
There are some proposed solutions to the problem of replacing a characterized motor. For example, the system control board could include information of the system for uploading to a configurable motor. However, this solution does not solve, among other issues, the problem of replacing ECMs currently installed and operating. In another proposed solution, the service technician could be outfitted with mobile programming capability. This option, which typically requires specialized hardware and/or software, is usually too expensive and complex for some service personnel.